Fifty Shades of Black
by alyssialui
Summary: This is a collection of Black-centric one-shots and drabbles for the Fifty Shades challenge on HPFC. Some chapters are rated M, others aren't as bad. Currently: Sirius finally masters occlumancy. young!Sirius.
1. Black: Heartbreak

_A/N: Bellatrix vows never to let her heart be broken again._

_Submission for:_

_**There's a First Time for Everything Challenge: **Bellatrix Black. First heartbreak._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

She had thought he meant them, all those words he had whispered into her ear when they met atop the Astronomy Tower after hours, those written in his elegant script across the dozens of letters he had sent to her. She was his world, his everything, the one he would choose above all others. She had let him in, left her heart open for him, began to think that in another life, they would get married and grow old together.

He had said he was in the library, studying for their OWLs. He didn't need her help, didn't want to bother her, didn't want to worry her beautiful mind. So why did she find him snogging another girl in the broom closet on the second floor?

"Bellatrix, wait," he cries when she steps away from the open door, stumbling into the hallway with the floozy still draped around his neck. She looks back, though she shouldn't have. She should have kept running, she should have been stronger, but she looked back.

"This isn't what it looks like," he says, his brown hair mussed as if nails had raked across his scalp, his lips swollen and bruised. She had seen it before, done it often enough, and the perpetrator was standing right there. He still thought her a fool if he hoped she believed him now.

She doesn't want to hear any more of his lies. She turns away and continues down the corridors, around the corners and shadows until she finds herself outside beneath the night sky, her body shaking with ugly sobs as she cries into her hands. The air is cool against her exposed skin, causing her to shiver but she doesn't care. Any feeling is better than the piercing knife through her heart.

Eventually when the crying stops and the ache within her chest dulls, she lifts her eyes and stares out across the dark waters. A black feeling begins to fester in her heart to numb the pain. She vows that night that Bellatrix Black would never have her heart broken again.


	2. Midnight: The Spoils

_A/N: Bella goes on a killing spree._

_Submission for:_

_**A Demigod Wizard's Duel at the Hunger Games Competition: **Round 3 - Wizard Duels - Write a fic about your Rep. without stating their name in the story. Prompt: trophy_

_**The Pokemon Journey Challenge: **Bellatrix goes on a killing spree_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

She stood in the street gazing up at the blaze, her dark hair flying about her from the rising heat. Her form was silhouetted against the backdrop of a burning home, gaunt, thin but very much alive. The smell of blood caused her heart to race and adrenaline to rush through her veins, but still, she was not sated. She still wanted more.

She had volunteered herself for this mission. She was ready and willing. She had wanted to please her Lord. She had wanted to prove herself worthy of being at his right hand, that she could be called upon at a moment's notice to carry out any task.

A stream of muggles rushed out of the house, its roof finally collapsing under the weight of smoke and ash as orange tongues licked at the midnight sky above. She grinned as she aimed her wand at each and every one of them, sparing no mercy or thought for man, woman or child. They were just like the others she had killed moments before. They were all filth, they were all unworthy. They deserved death.

After they had fallen, four more to add to her total for the night, she stepped towards one of the smaller bodies. The little girl's eyes were frozen with the fear she held just before the curse hit her body. She clutched in her hand a doll with wild dark hair and matching button eyes.

The doll was snatched from the girl's hands, a grin crossing the mad woman's features as she held it in the light of the flames. It would make a wonderful trophy for a job well done.


	3. Ebony: Broken

_A/N: Narcissa's heart is broken. sad!Lucissa. Bellucius. Warning for cheating. Narcissa shouldn't love Lucius after he does it, but because her love for him is so strong, it's not just gonna disappear a few seconds afterwards._

_Submission for:_

_**What Hurts the Most Competition: **(genre) Hurt/Comfort (mostly Hurt)_

* * *

Narcissa ran as far as her legs could take her, away from the writhing bodies across his usually pristine bed and the pleasure-filled moans that bounced against his dorm-room walls. It couldn't be real, her eyes must have been deceiving her, but even as the castle walls rushed past her, she knew that it was simply wishful thinking. What she had seen was true, had happened right in front of her. There was just no mistaking the Malfoy blond hair or her sister's wild ebony curls.

She held a hand over her heart, feeling it broken into a million pieces though it still beat within her chest. She knew she must look a mess right now as hot tears rolls down her cheeks, crying ugly tears not befitting someone of her name and stature, but she couldn't care less if anyone saw her now.

She fell to her knees, eventually finding herself in a place tainted by loving memories with him from times when they would hold each other and gaze at the stars. They came up to the Astronomy Tower many nights to share their hopes and dreams, their fears and worries. She had trusted him. She thought he loved her and only her. She thought she meant something to him.

Even though all that now proved false, though he had hurt her beyond anything else he could have done, Narcissa was having a hard time trying not to love him.


	4. Onyx: Goodbye Sweet Rebellion

_A/N: Sirius and Narcissa get caught. incest. Sirius/Narcissa. I do not own Harry Potter._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Hogwarts One-Shot Wars - Sirius Black. Narcissa Black. Prompts: (story type) 1st Person Narrative, (word) Floral, (song) Queen of Disaster by Lana Del Rey, (word) patronised, (emotion) ecstatic, (colour) coral_

_**Open Category Competition 2: **Incest - Sirius/Narcissa_

_**The Incest Reveal Challenge: **Sirius/Narcissa_

_**Shipper's Dictionary Challenge/Competition: **Dogwood - Sirius/Narcissa_

_**Broaden Your Horizons Challenge {Angst Fics}: **Forbidden Love_

* * *

As you push me up against the bedroom wall, all doubt and guilt simply fade away. My hands knock precious heirlooms and ornaments off the nearby dresser top but we don't care. It is all about us now, all about sating the desire that burns within our chest and our loins and filling the hole that grows deeper in our hearts.

You look at me for a moment, your eyes searching for something on my face in the dark. Do you want me to stop you? Do you want me to say everything is all right? No, Sirius, everything is wrong, everything is horrible, but that's why we're here, isn't it? We rule in this land of disaster and chaos and we just want to feel alive. That's why I feel no regret as I plant a searing kiss across your lips and pull you closer to me.

When we were younger, children running about our family's ancient homes, we didn't say much. We liked different things and you were always different. You always wanted more than what this family stood for, you wanted a different life. I was content to abide by its rules and its plan for me, but now you have taken me along with you. You have become my rebellion.

Your hands travel lower, your rough fingertips moving from the small of my back to the smoothness of bottom. My little sound of excitement and anticipation is all you need before you lift me up and my legs wrap around your waist, my floral dress bunching around my hips.

My fingers move to the front of your shirt, my coral nails making quick work of its buttons to reveal the tattoo on your chest. Another sign of rebellion, a pawprint which you refused to tell me the significance of, but only that there will be more.

You lean in to nip at my neck and another sound escapes my throat. The feelings coursing through my body right now are indescribable and indistinguishable, but all I know is that I want this, just like last time, just like next time. I want it with you.

But just as you are about to begin, just before we start this forbidden dance that feels so right, the door opens, casting the dim light of the torches in the hallway into this darkened room.

"What do you two think you're doing?" your mother asks, her onyx eyes darting between our half-exposed bodies and our awkward positions.

My legs fall and you step back, your eyes full of fear and dread. You have always been ashamed of this. You have always hated depending on getting this form of release from the family you strive to act against.

I look away from her scrutinizing gaze while silently adjusting my clothes. There isn't much to be said now, for the only sensible explanation is the correct one. But instead of disgust, shock or anger, Walburga seems to be pleased.

"I had never though of this possibility but this could work out very well," she says, a thoughtful look on her face. "It is not unheard of for cousins to marry and it would ensure the line stays pure."

Horror flashes across your face =and I'm sure mine is no better. What we have is fun because it's forbidden and our secret to keep. Making it a reality would mess up everything.

"Aunt Walburga, I don't think-" I begin, for your sake and mine, but I don't get far before she waves her hand to quiet me.

"Think nothing of it," she says as she backs out of the room. "I'll begin the preparations immediately. We can have bouquets of lilies and dogwood, and I'll have to get someone to bake the cake. There's already so much to do..."

I bristle a bit, hating the feeling of being patronised by the older woman like I was nothing but an impudent girl but say nothing as her voice fades with each step. I still have to play the part, I still have to be the perfect one in her eyes.

"My mother must be mad if she thinks that I'm going to let this happen," you say, finally finding your voice as you start to rebutton your shirt, the pawprint covered once more.

"What are you going to do?" I ask.

"I'm going to leave. I'd been planning this for awhile and now there seems to be no other choice," you say.

I nod as I look into your eyes, full of such conviction. You have been thinking about this and there will be no stopping you. There is no other choice, but with your leave, there will be no more times like these and I will no longer get that taste of disobedience I desperately crave.

I lean on my toes and give you one last kiss. Goodbye, sweet rebellion.


	5. Charcoal: Taking the Blame

_A/N: Bella takes the blame for her sisters. young!Black sisters fic. Bella is about ten or eleven (not yet at Hogwarts), Andromeda is eight and Narcissa is six._

_Submission for:_

_**The Whodunit Elimination Competition: **Write about your character being forced to lie to cover something up that they did not do. - Bellatrix Black._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

"Who broke this?" their mother asked as she stared down into each of her daughter's faces. In her hands, she held the remains of a priceless urn which sat on the mantle and once held their great-aunt Cassiopeia, her ashes now scattered across the parlour floor and mingling in with the pieces of charcoal in fireplace below.

The three girls all looked down. Narcissa and Andromeda had been playing just a few moments ago while Bellatrix sat in a chair by the window reading. The younger girls were throwing a ball between them, having fun, laughing, but then Cissy had thrown the ball over Dromeda's head and knocked the urn down.

"Well, then I guess there will be no desert for any of you for the next few-" their mother said, but then Bella opened her mouth. The two younger girls cast a furtive glance to their older sister. Would she tell on them? She had done nothing wrong and if none of them said anything, they would all get in trouble. Would she save her own skin?

"I broke the urn, Mother," Bella said, looking into their mother's face. "It was an accident."

Their mother frowned and then said, "Alright then, no desert for a week, young lady, and you will sent to bed early," before leaving the room to find an elf to clean up Aunt Cassiopeia.

Narcissa then turned to Bella. "Why did you do that?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell on us?"

Bella shrugged, glancing down at her hands with a bored expression. "Older sisters are supposed to look out for their younger ones, and it wouldn't make sense we all get in trouble, right?"

Andromeda and Narcissa hastily nodded, wide smiles on their faces as they hugged Bellatrix around her waist.

"And besides," Bellatrix added, "Now you guys owe me."


	6. Space: Secret Deals

_A/N: Bella makes a deal with Sirius. Bella is 17, Sirius is 7._

_Submission for:_

_**Harry Potter Carnival Competition: **My favorite superheroes are a tie between Captain America and Batman._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Bellatrix walked through the hallways of Number 12 Grimmauld Place with a bored expression on her face. Visiting her Aunt Walburga was always such a bore and as soon as she could, she excused herself from the table in search of something else to do.

She came upon the second landing where she knew her cousins' bedrooms were. Even though they were about a decade younger than her, they could possibly be more entertaining than listening to her mother and aunt twitter and gossip about the other pureblood women.

"These look so cool, Sirius," she heard a voice say behind one of the bedroom doors. "This one is flying through the sky!"

"Through space to different planets! My favorite superheroes are a tie between Captain America and Batman," she heard another respond.

She pushed open the door to see the two boys sitting on the bed, both with colourful booklets in their laps. She had seen them before, often mudbloods crowding around them in the library and class.

"Are those comic books?" she asked.

The two boys eyes shot up to her figure standing the doorway. "No," Regulus said hastily, dropping his book and jumping off the bed and away from his older brother, leaving him with the evidence.

Sirius scowled at Regulus before looking back at his cousin. "And what if they are?" he asked.

Bellatrix grinned and grew her wand. "I'm sure your mother wouldn't like to know where you got such filthy literature," she said as she stepped into the room. With a quick wave, she summoned the books towards her. "Maybe I should dispose of them for her."

"No!" Sirius screamed, jumping off the bed and running towards her. He tried to grab them but she held them high above her head and out of his reach. "Give them back!"

"I might," she said, "If you do something for me."

Sirius stopped jumping and looked into her face. "What?" he asked.

"I want to leave, so I need you to give her a reason to," Bellatrix said.

Sirius thought for a moment, a delightful smile coming on his face before he got serious once more. "But how do I know you'll actually give them back to me?" he asked.

Bella took one the books and handed it back to the small boy. "You get one now, and the other after you do the deed," she said.

Sirius nodded before running out of the room, Bellatrix watching him curiously. She hadn't really intended to make any sort of deal today, though it had made her day interesting. However, she wondered what her cousin had planned.

A few seconds later, she found out. "Bellatrix!" her mother called up the stairs. As she walked down, Sirius was sprinting back up them, snatching the comic book from her hands and ducking into his bedroom.

She saw her mother and aunt storming out of the dining room, their dresses stained and their hair dripping with brown liquid. "Say goodbye to your aunt, Bellatrix," her mother said as she walked towards the fireplace.

Bellatrix grinned and made a low curtsey. "Goodbye, Aunt Walburga. I had a lovely time."


	7. Black Hole: Her Sisters

_A/N: Andromeda has dinner with Ted's parents._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Defense Against the Dark Arts Assignment #6 - Write about loss_

_**Harry Potter Carnival Competition: **I have zero sisters_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Andromeda smiled as she sat next to Ted at his parent's dining table. It was much smaller than she was used to, but was lovely all the same. Across from her was Ted's sister, Mary, whose short brown hair ghosted above her shoulders and slightly covered her eyes. On her right was his younger brother, David, who was just two years younger but was the spitting image of her fiance, with the same short hair and blue eyes. Currently, he was recounting another story from their youth which had resulted in Ted breaking his leg.

"That's the first time Ted decided to jump from the roof," David said. "The next time, he was more prepared for it. He grabbed one of the bedsheets and screamed at the top of his lung, -."

Andromeda laughed as Ted reached behind her and slapped his brother's arm to stop him from speaking any more, which prompted another round of laughter around the table. Before the dinner, she had been nervous and scared wondering how his parents would take to someone of her upbringing and background. As Muggles, she expected them to have totally different views on life and she worried she would offend them. But so far, nothing like that had happened. Ted Snr. and Maria had welcomed her with open arms, along with his siblings, and she had felt more at home here than she had ever felt in her life.

Ted's mother sighed as her laughter died out, before she turned to Andromeda. "And what about you, Andromeda? Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Andromeda stiffened, a tugging feeling in her chest where her heart was now replaced by a black hole. Her sisters?

She thought of all those days spent on the back porch of the manor, drinking glasses of lemonade as Bella talked excitedly about her lessons. Bellatrix was always very studious and ambitious, always talking about how she was ahead of her entire class.

She thought of teaching Narcissa how to swim in the lake behind their home, the two of them eventually taking up synchronized swimming together. They were like two graceful swans, her mother had said the first time she saw them perform. Bellatrix thought it was too delicate.

She thought of late nights sitting in the kitchen with their mother, each with a cup of tea before them and simply enjoying other's company in the dark stillness of the house as their father slept above.

She thought of the night her father had come into her bedroom threatening her about doing her duty, her older sister's smirking face floating behind him. She was to throw away these notions of love and marry Rabastan Lestrange by the time she graduated.

She thought about the argument she had with her sister just a few days later, her clothes half-pouring from her trunk. The harsh words and insults pierced her chest, cutting her open and leaving her in pieces.

She thought about her younger sister's beautiful blue eyes brimming with tears as she had been caught climbing out her bedroom window, her packed bags waiting for her in the front yard. Narcissa didn't want her to leave but she couldn't stay there.

She thought of the note she had left on her bed, more than likely destroyed, and her face burnt off the family tapestry. It would be like she never existed.

Andromeda cleared her throat, warding away the memories and emotions as she said softly, "I have no sisters."

All the laughter had stopped as they watched the dark-haired woman look down into her lap, the fork in her hand mindlessly moving her meal around her plate.

A hand crept into her lap and she looked up into Ted's face, which was filled with so much hope and love. She looked around at the other faces at the table, Ted Snr, Maria, Mary and David's, and she couldn't help but smile.

It didn't matter that she had lost her old family. She had found a new one and this was her family now.


	8. Jet: Reunited

_A/N: __The three sisters, after a lifetime of loss and darkness, are reunited__. This picks up from the last chapter, though there is a big time jump, and is almost like an extension of the same scene I wrote in my **How Do I Love Thee?** collection._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Defense Against the Dark Arts Assignment #6.2 - Write about the characters being reunited._

_**Broaden Your Horizons Challenge (Platonic Pairings): **Write about a family reunion or the return of a long lost relative_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Andromeda walked among the motionless bodies which littered the destroyed stone floor. Some were left alone with no one there to collect them; others were surrounded by mourning friends and family. Some were covered in blood, damaged beyond recognition; others looked like they were only sleeping if not for the scared expression frozen on their faces.

She had just left her daughter and son-in-law, putting them in Molly Weasley's care, while she searched for another. Though it hurt to look away from her little girl, to think of the fact that she would no longer see a smile flutter across the young woman's face as quickly as her hair colour changed, she still turned away and began her search. There was someone that she had to see for herself.

Eventually she found her laying next to large piece of fallen ceiling. She had definitely changed from the last time she saw her. Then, she had luxurious jet black locks that would make the boys' heads spin and Andromeda was often jealous of. Her skin would glow and her eyes would glitter as she spoke about the things she loved (mostly things of dark and sinister natures). However now, she was but a shell of that girl. She was wearing her signature black robes, her small, malnourished body swallowed up by the billowing fabric. Her eyes were wide open, her mouth opened in a scream of surprise as she stared unblinkingly up at the sky that peeked through the holes above.

But despite all this, even in death, her sister was still beautiful.

Footsteps on her right prompted Andromeda to look up. A woman stood there, long blonde hair cascading down her shoulder, greyed with age and grime from fallen debris. Her large blue eyes, darker now than she remembered, swam with tears as the woman looked not at the body, but at her.

She hadn't seen Narcissa for almost thirty years but she could still remember the little girl who couldn't sleep at night because Bella had told her about the monster under her bed, the same girl that she had taught how to swim, the same girl who begged her not to leave many nights ago.

But now the past was to be put in the past. Now was a time for families to draw close to one another. Andromeda opened her arms and Narcissa ran toward her, wrapping her own arms around Andromeda's waist as her tears streamed freely down her cheeks.

It had taken a war full of blood and death for them to be finally be reunited, and though the Light had won, everyone had lost.


	9. Leather: Don't Let Me Go

_A/N: This is their final night. First Rodolphus/Narcissa. Enjoy._

_Submission for:_

_**War of Angels Competition: **Round 2 - "Don't Let Me Go" by Raign_

_**Kill That Character (or not) Competition: **corner, kiss_

_**Stratego: **C4 - Romance_

* * *

This is their last night together. Though the view from the window is dark, she can hear the clock on the night table ticking away the remaining early morning seconds one by one. By morning, he will be gone, leaving her alone without even saying a word.

She moves closer to him, her hands clutching the front of his shirt as the familiar scent of leather fills her nose - his smell. She wishes they could simply stay here in this bed forever. They could forget that beyond these bedroom walls, she was a Black about to be married into another influential family, and he was already married to her older sister. Here, they were simply two souls that found each other through the grey and black haze of their lives.

A tear slips out the corner of her eye and she takes a shuddering breath, willing the others not to fall. If the tears start, they will never stop, and she doesn't want that. She can't break down now. Breaking down is for the weak and she has always been taught to be strong. She was taught to do her duty despite her opinion and feelings on the matter.

"It's okay," his voice comes from above her head, his chest resonating with the sound. She stiffens in his arms, but he simply pulls her closer, moving one hand across her back. "It's okay if you are saddened by all this. I know this isn't ideal but it is what it is."

"I don't think it's fair," she whispers, another tear escaping her eyes. "I know we never planned for this either but I've never cared for someone like you before. I... I love you."

His hand stops on her back and she begins to worry. It's not something she has ever said out loud though she had hoped her actions spoke for themselves. She had gone against all her teachings by continuing this relationship in the shadows. She had opened her heart to him, sharing all her hopes and fears, and he had done the same. She loved him but maybe she had just made a terrible mistake.

"I'm sorry," she says quickly, pulling away slightly in his arms. "I shouldn't have said that. It was out of place and-"

"I love you, too," he interrupts her, his other hand moving to tilt her head up to look into her eyes.

"We both know the arrangement between me and Bellatrix was made long before you and I first spoke. We both know there was no way to stop it from happening. And we both know there is no love lost between your sister and myself. But I do love you," he says, ending with a passionate kiss on her lips.

When they separate, she snuggles into his chest, his beating heart against her ear. Despite the joy she should feel upon hearing that her feelings are requited, she is still filled with sadness. No matter how they feel, the reality remains the same - she is to be a Malfoy and this cannot continue further.

"Don't let me go," she says, for they only have tonight and she wants to be his for as long as possible.


	10. Eerie: Dishonour

_A/N: Regulus does what he can to end Voldemort's reign._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Arithmancy Assignment #7 - Write about one of the lesser know death eaters - Regulus Black_

_**Greek Mythology Mega Prompt Challenge: **Cyclopes – Write about dishonour to the Ministry or Voldemort's Reign._

_**Open Category Competition 2: **Canon_

* * *

He took another sip of the foul liquid, his insides melting away as it burnt and cooled from within. Another hacking cough, another deep red drop against the paleness of his hand as his blood dribbled down his chin, but he couldn't stop now. He had already gone this far.

Another sip forced down his throat. Another strangled cry resonating about the secret cavern. Another voice telling him he should get out of here now, get out before _he_ found him and he was punished. Maybe he should listen to the voice before it was too late...

"Master," Kreacher quivered before him, holding the small ladle in front of his thin chest. "Please."

"Kreacher," he managed to get out, shouting above the sound of his father telling him that he was dishonoring his name. "More."

Another sip. Another loud scream bouncing around the room and mingling with that of his mother as she shouted about blood purity. She would be thoroughly disappointed if she knew he was doing this. He was a blood-traitor, even worse than his brother-

"More!" he cried, spitting more blood onto the stones.

"There is no more, Master," Kreacher said, coming to his side and wiping his mouth with the bottom of his tattered cloth.

He took a few shuddering breaths as he pushed himself off the ground, forgetting how he had fallen in the first place. He grabbed onto the edge of the stone basin in the centre of the rock formation, and pulled himself up by his arms until he stared down into its depth.

There it was, the object that had caused him so much pain, glinting back up at him.

"Here," he said gruffly, handing the locket to his house-elf, his friend. "Get out of here and destroy it, Kreacher."

The house-elf hesitated a moment, eyeing the artefact warily. Even it could feel a presence within the trinket. "Master, I cannot-"

"That's an order, Kreacher," he said, summoning what little strength he had left. "Destroy it by whatever means necessary."

The elf nodded, taking the locket and disappearing with a loud pop which echoed within the cavern, covering the sound of his collapse back onto the stone.

Now that he was alone, completely alone, an eerie silence came to envelope him in its chilling embrace. He shuddered from some after-effects of the potion and looked out onto the water, realizing just how thirsty he was.

He pulled himself to the edge of the island and stared at his reflection. One drink couldn't hurt.

However, as he dipped his hand into the cool water, he instantly realized his mistake. A cold dead hand latched onto his wrist, pulling him in with unbelievable strength.

He fought against his undead attacker, struggling with his arms and legs as more and more came to hold him down. His chest burned as his oxygen began to run out, the water's surface getting further and further away as they pulled him down.

With his last moment of consciousness, he remembered why he had done this in the first place and a small smile crossed his features. He had done it. He had gone against the Dark Lord and had done what he could to return the world to some kind of humanity. If this was his fate, so be it.


	11. Darkness: His Life

_A/N: Regulus goes on his first mission with his cousin. I do not own Harry Potter._

_Submission for:_

_**The Battlefield Wars: **BATTLE #1 - Regulus Black. Bellatrix Black. Prompt: One of the characters shares a very deep, dark secret with the other character._

_**The Murder Mystery Weekly Competition!**_

_**Broaden Your Horizons Challenge {Angst Fics}: **Battle/Struggle_

* * *

Regulus stumbled, his hands flying forward as he almost landed on his face on the concrete sidewalk outside the Muggle home. His cousin grinned above his kneeling form, her hands returning to her sides as she stepped around him. He knew he was hesitating, stalling to prevent this horrible night from beginning, but he didn't need her to push him.

"Come along, brat," she whispered harshly as she walked up to the front door. She reached into her long dark robes for her wand and held it to the doorknob. "I'm only going to shadow you once. After tonight, you're on your own, and you're expected to do everything perfectly."

The lock clicked and she pushed the door open, stepping through the threshold without looking back. Regulus took a deep breath before he rose to his feet, fixing his dishevelled appearance before following her.

The room was quiet and still, the darkness almost suffocating. There were many odd shapes around him, his eyes unable to make out any details, though his mind was doing a great job of filling in any gaps with the scariest possibilities. He drew for his wand and muttered a quick Lumos, wanting to cast a bit of light and comfort on the situation.

Now he could see better: an well-worn brown couch in the centre of the room in front of an odd-looking brown box, an empty birdcage in the corner of the room,...

"Aaaaaah!" he screamed, his wand dropping out of his hand as he came face to face with an angry duck, its feathers fluffed up around its neck.

"Do you want to wake the Muggle up?" his cousin said, appearing immediately at his side and clamping a hand over his mouth.

Regulus looked down sheepishly as he tried to calm his beating heart. He could feel her irritation coming off her in waves. "This Muggle hunts animals for sport, kills them and mounts them on the wall as trophies," she said, the outline of her arm held out towards the large stuffed duck. "Muggles are filthy, dangerous creatures so we have to stay hidden until the last moment."

They waited in silence for a few more seconds before Bellatrix removed her hand. "He's upstairs," she muttered, before taking his hand and pulling him behind her.

They stood before the first door on the right and Bellatrix drew her wand before blasting it off its hinges. "I thought we were trying to be quiet?" Regulus asked.

The dark-haired woman gave him a smirk. "I also love to make an entrance," she said before she stepped inside.

Regulus peered into the room to see the frantic Muggle scrambling for something beneath his bed, but his cousin was too quick. "Crucio."

Regulus swallowed as he listened to the Muggle's screams, his limbs contorting to Bellatrix's whim. He thrashed in his bed, the sheets wrapping tightly around his lower body before he fell onto the ground.

Bellatrix lifted the spell before moving closer to the man, drawing him up by his hair. "Please, Sorceress. Have mercy," he pleaded but the man obviously didn't know who he was dealing with.

Bellatrix drew a knife from her robes and drew it across the man's skin, painting her hands, robes and the curtains red with his blood. The Muggle continued to beg through his screams and Regulus tried to look away but his gaze caught on the blood-stained hem of the curtain.

The Muggle's blood was red, bright red even in this faint light. He remembered stories his mother told him about the dirt that flowed through Muggle veins, the way they messed up the ground they walked on with every step. Their blood was supposed to be brown and thick, like mud. Why was it red?

"Regulus!" Bellatrix said, her voice breathy and excited. She was having a bit too much fun with this Muggle. "Come, you're here to learn and gain experience. It's your turn."

Regulus turned back to the Muggle, his face completely disfigured. His eyes had been gouged, the sockets filled again with the unexpected colour. Long slashes extended his smile, and Regulus was sure Bellatrix had even pried out a few teeth. But he was still able to say, "Kill... me..."

Regulus raised his wand, trying to keep the tremble out his hand. He was here to learn, learn so he could do this again and again. This was his life now, the life he had chosen. He could already hear the gurgling screams in his head, the torture curse on the edge of his lips.

Regulus turned away, doubling over as he regurgitated the contents on his stomach on the Muggle's bedroom carpet.

"What are you doing?" Bellatrix cried. "Torture him!"

"I can't," Regulus muttered, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth and grimacing at the sour taste of stomach acid his mouth.

"Pathetic! An utter disgrace," Bellatrix said. "If you want to serve the Dark Lord to the best of your abilities, you must be able to do this without flinching."

Regulus let out a choked sob. Why did he think he could do this? He didn't want to do this. He wanted to get out of here. He wanted to go home. "I just can't!" he said.

"You can't or you won't? Don't tell me you're having second-thoughts?" Bellatrix screeched, stepping over the Muggle.

Regulus turned on her, "And what if I am? Their blood isn't supposed to be red."

There was pause, Bellatrix's steps halting as she analyzed him. It took Regulus just a moment to realize that he probably should have kept those thoughts a secret. He shouldn't have said that out loud, especially to his cousin. Bellatrix was the Dark Lord's right hand man, his most loyal and faithful. She was ready to do his bidding at the mere mention of violence and destruction, so what would she do with her wayward cousin, even if they shared blood?

"Avada Kedavra!" she shouted and though surprised, Regulus braced himself, closing his eyes as he waited for the green light to hit him.

But it didn't. The Muggle let out a small sound, one which sounded like relief to Regulus, before he stilled, his head falling flat against the carpet.

"Now Regulus," his cousin said as he came towards him. She grabbed him by his collar and pulled him to his full height before she gave him a sweet smile. "The Dark Lord allowed you to join our ranks early under my recommendation. I told him that all Blacks knew their duties and performed them without fault. Therefore, any doubts, any confusion, needs to disappear tonight. You are a Death Eater. You bear the Mark. And you will obey else I will kill you myself. Understood?"

Regulus nodded, shivering under her gaze. She let him go, and he almost fell forward from the loss of support. "Let's go," was all she said before she disappeared with an almost inaudible pop.

Regulus gave one more look to the bloody Muggle. This was his life now. A life of death. A life of blood. A life of red.


	12. Licorice: Her First Time

_A/N: Bellatrix gets her period for the first time. Nothing really special about this. I wanted to recreate the scene from Carrie, but I don't think Bellatrix would have acted as clueless and vulnerable as Carrie did._

_Submission for:_

_**Return of the Daily Weird Prompt Thing [Speed-writing Competition]: **Bellatrix was a late bloomer_

* * *

Bellatrix entered the girls' bathroom with her toiletries and night clothes, sneering half-heartedly at the other girls who looked her way as she made her way to an unoccupied shower stall. All week she had been feeling very sluggish, sometimes even nauseous as she went about her classes. She was sleeping more lately and her belly would hurt at the most inopportune moments. Hopefully, a nice warm shower would make her feel a bit better.

She quickly undressed, placing her clothes and items in a dry place before turning on the water and stepping inside. She lathered up her rag with her favourite scented soap, the smell of black licorice filling her nose as she ran it over her body, ensuring to make herself nice and clean.

_Drip. Drip._

Then she felt something warm and sticky slipping down her leg. Bellatrix looked down to see blood running freely from her body, painting the floor of the shower in bright red spots before the water swept it down the drain.

_**"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"**_

All the girls turned as Bellatrix jumped out of her shower stall, uncaring about her nudity, and screamed again, "Someone get Madame Pomfrey! I'm going to die! I'm bleeding!"

The nearest girl came over and placed a hand on Bellatrix's cool skin, her eyes looking at the small pool of blood slowly growing around the dark-haired girl's legs. "Ummm... Bellatrix, are you having your monthly?" she asked.

Bellatrix looked at the girl with frantic eyes. "My what?"

"You've never had your monthly?" another girl asked. "Aren't you fifteen?"

Bellatrix looked down at her floor herself, still trying to grasp that this seemed to be something natural.

Her confusion must have been evident on her face. The first girl pushed Bellatrix back into the shower stall. "Wash up and we can take you to Madame Pomfrey. She can help you."


	13. Raven: Siren Song

_A/N: Catching sailors is so much fun. Siren!Bella._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments):** Arithmancy Assignment #9 - Write about someone controling another person's actions by any means- be it imperious curse, blackmail, dominance or anything else you can think of._

_**Greek Mythology Mega Prompt Challenge: **Siren - Write about a beautiful but evil creature._

* * *

The stars twinkled over head as she pulled herself out of the water. She tossed her raven locks over her shoulder, swishing her tail about as she made herself comfortable. This was her favourite rock to bask in the moonlight and await the ships of sailors which passed by.

She didn't have to wait long for a few minutes later, a small dot could be seen on the horizon. She leaned over the edge of her rock, using the water's surface as a mirror to adjust her appearance for her upcoming audience. The fluttering of the ship's sails drew her attention, and her mouth stretched into a grin over her pointed teeth. It was time for the performance.

She cleared her throat before she began, her beautiful song slipping pass her red lips towards the wooden vessel. Her chest swelled as she saw the dancing lights on the deck as the sailors leaned over the edge to listen. She loved the attention they gave her whenever she sang.

Then she heard it - the splash. One had taken the bait.

She continued to sing as he swam towards her, the slight ripples getting stronger as he neared. The other sailors were still clamouring from the ship, calling out to her in their strange language.

"Water princess," the sailor said, throwing himself forward when he reached the base of her rock. His blue eyes were slightly clouded as they raked over her body, taking in her round face, her bare chest and her dark green tail. "You are beautiful beyond compare."

She smiled at him and caressed his cheek, running a thumb over the stubble there. Beautiful. That was a word they always used when they came near, something they thought would appease her good nature.

Unfortunately, she did not have a good nature.

She stopped singing, letting the final notes of her song die on the wind. She leaned towards the sailor and watched as the expression on his face changed from one of love to one of horror. Now that the song had ended, the spell had broken and he saw who she truly was.

He screamed, pushing himself off the rock to get away from her and she laughed. She wouldn't let him get away that easily.

She grabbed his arms and dived into the water, ignoring his cries and the ones from the ship as she pulled him further and further into the depths. She could have simply eaten him but she loved watching them struggle before they died.


	14. Arsenic: Inside These Prison Walls

_A/N: Inside these prison walls. Set prior to OotP. Inspired and helped by Lamia. Slight Bellamort._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments):** Magical Objects And Their Uses Assignment #11 - Write about a character dwelling on an event that happened to them in the past._

_**Hogwarts Writing Club Competition: **Round 6 - card_

_**Missing Moments Competition: **Bellatrix in Azkaban before the massive outbreak_

* * *

Her shallow breath rattles within her chest, sounding in time with the loose shackles fastened around her thin wrists as she sways from one side to the other. She would have thought after spending such a long time within this forgotten place, she would have become completely numb to the cold lingering in her bones. She coughs, not even bothering to cover her chapped, peeling lips with her bony hands, for what's the point? There is no room for steadfast pureblood upbringing and manners here. Here, she is just as dark and grimy as the walls she is surrounded by.

Beyond her four stone walls, she can hear the desperate screams of those who still had enough mind to scream, those who still had some sort of hope. Her mouth forms into a jagged scar across her once beautiful face. Hope is for the weak and naive, a feeling she had learnt to throw away long ago.

"_He's coming for you, just hold on,_" a voice says within her mind, its volume all but non-existent now. "_Just hold_-"

A scream drowns out the voice's lies, her scream, though she doesn't recognize it as such. All she wants is for the voice to be quiet, to leave her alone. He's not coming. He's gone. He's dead.

The truth courses like arsenic through her veins. He used to be the master of the cards, until that faithful day when he played his last card and lost the game. He's not coming for her and she will waste away in this place, just like everyone else.

Her eyes widen as she notices her breaths becoming thicker and whiter. She can see the chill rising up her small cell. They're coming. They're coming.

.*.

They are close, closer than she ever hoped he would let her be. His lips are at her ear, whispering what, she cannot remember. But then he slips away, disappearing in tendrils of wispy black smoke.

.*.

She's on a rampage, the world around her in fire at her hands as she hears about the fall. How could this happen? How could someone like him be defeated? She crumples to the ground, hiding her face in her hands, wishing the flames would engulf her as well. How could he leave her behind?

.*.

She watches as the woman goes mad, her husband already long gone and mumbling incoherently in a puddle of his own bodily fluids, the red overpowering all others. They are the ones who did this, they are the ones that took him away from her. They are the ones who will pay.

.*.

She sits straight-backed in her chair, staring down the Head of the DMLE as if she is here only because she wants to be. And it really is the only reason. She wants to be thrown away. She doesn't want to continue living on the outside without him. It'll be better this way. She will be safe, and he had always said that he would come for her. She didn't see how, but the hope was there. He would come for her.

.*.

The screams die out as they move away from her cell, her memories not as satisfying as they had hoped. They had taken away her better ones already.

She falls forward, her head hitting the stone floor with a loud thud. As the blackness begins to engulf her, the voice returns, but this time it's deeper, smoother, just like she remembered.

"_I'll never leave your side_," he whispers, his arms around her waist. Now, she remembers. This was just before he left.

"But you did," she says in response before she is gone.


	15. Shadow: Breakout

_A/N: He finally came for her. Continues from **Inside These Prison Walls**. Bellamort._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments):** Arithmancy Assignment #11 - write about a couple that were, in your eyes, meant to be but were not in Canon. - Bellamort_

_**Missing Moments Competition:** The massive outbreak of Azkaban_

_**The 'Read Between The Lines' Challenge: **Bellamort_

* * *

She lies against the cold stone, her eyes unfocused on the glistening ceiling of her small cell. She shivers as a chill skitters across the skin exposed by her tattered clothes. Outside her window, she can hear the soft crashing of the waves against cliffside of this forgotten place in the middle of the ocean. How long has it been? Ten years? Fifteen? It doesn't matter.

_He's not coming_, the voice says now. She has finally swayed it to the truth. She has resigned herself to this life, to the harsh reality she has found herself in.

She thought she meant something to him. She thought he needed her. She was a fool, deluding only herself into thinking that way. He was powerful beyond measure and restraint. He never needed anyone, especially her.

_He isn't coming. He never was._

The walls shake, jostling some of the crazed prisoners awake. Her eyes roll lazily towards the howls of terror which fill her ears. Are _they_ back? Have they come for another meal? She has no more to give them.

But then she hears it, and she truly listens to the sounds echoing off the walls. Those aren't the screams of lost souls begging for a death that will never come. Those are the screams of pain and torture, screams which used to be such sweet music to her ear.

She scrambles to her feet quickly, forcing her face as far as she can through the metal bars to look down the hall. Shadows dance on the walls as colourful flashes illuminate the outlines of fighting figures and fleeing and fallen guards. There are more explosions, more running and shouting, and there is a strange heat coming from somewhere close by. Was something on fire?

Then from the darkness, a whisper. "My Bella," the shadow says over the sound of the waves and the blasts.

Her rattling breath catches in her throat as her eyes dart around to find the source, the voice she never thought she'd hear again.

_He came_.

He steps into the light, standing tall and intimidating in the dim light. His features are more snake than man than he had ever been, but she doesn't care. It was never about his physical appearance but his raw power which attracted her to him and rocked her to her very core.

"Stand back," he says, and without a second warning, aims his wand at the bars between her hands.

She raises her hands to shield her face from the flying debris, before she steps forward, numb to the long tears which open across her arms and legs.

She stumbles, dropping before him on her hands and knees as sobs begin to shake her. "My Lord, you-," she tries to say, not even truly believing it herself that he is actually standing before her in the flesh.

_He came._

He bends down and pulls her to her feet, her bony frame light in his hands, and she wraps her arms around him.

He lets her as he whispers into her ear, "I'm sorry I left you behind."


	16. Sable: Midnight Thunderstorms

_A/N: Andromeda hates thunder. Bella/Andromeda sister drabble. I use this plot a lot, though it was meant to be part of a larger fic between the two sisters._

_Submission for:_

_**LIFE: **unicorn, storm, helpless_

_**The House of Black Challenge: **Bellatrix/Andromeda. Sable._

* * *

She clutches her stuffed unicorn to her chest as the storm rages beyond her bedroom window. There is another loud boom as the thunder rolls across the sable sky and she screams, diving under her sheets for protection. She hates the thunder and how helpless it makes her.

Suddenly, there is a presence in her room, a shadow standing next her bed and reaching out above her.

"Stay back!" she screams, throwing the sheets off and attacking the shadow with her stuffed unicorn.

"Dromeda!" the person cries, grabbing the unicorn out of her hands hastily and tossing it to the ground.

It takes just a moment for her to recognize her sister, her hair even messier than usual and the annoyance painted across her face. "Bella?" she asks. "What are you doing here?"

"You were screaming," her sister says.

She looks away. It was one thing to be scared of the storm, it was another for her sister to find out this way. Now she was sure to laugh and tease her, and she'd be thought of as such a baby, that Bella would-

"Move over," her sister says, lifting her sheet and nudging her side.

"What?" she asks.

"Move," the older girl repeats, a bit louder and her shoves stronger.

Soon, they are lying together in her bed, Bella's arms wrapped around her from behind. The storm continues to beat against the glass, the howling wind whistle through the small spaces, but she finds, she isn't as scared as before. The clock down the hall chimes, signalling the stroke of midnight, as she falls into a peaceful sleep.


	17. Carbon: His Last Chance

_A/N: She was his last chance for an heir. A bit dark. Warning for murderous intent._

_Submission for:_

_**Father's Day Competition: **Cygnus/Narcissa_

_**The House of Black Challenge: **Cygnus/Narcisa. Stars_

* * *

Cygnus gazed down at the infant sleeping in the crib, the little girl a carbon copy of his wife with her blonde hair, soft skin and smooth features. She was supposed to be his last chance, his last opportunity to have an heir to carry on his name. Druella was late in her child-bearing years and the healers had said having another would be too dangerous. Now, he would never get the son he wanted.

Which was why, when it came time to give the child a name, he let his wife do it. This girl wouldn't be named Charon Pollux, so it no longer mattered to him what she was called.

But then Druella named her after her favourite flower, the Narcissus. He scowled. A Black named after a frail flower instead of a one of the many stars of the universe? However, it fit the infant well. Due to Druella's age, the babe was born prematurely. She was so small, so weak and fragile.

He watched the soft rise and fall of her chest before his eyes strayed to the tiny pillow in the corner of her crib. It would be so easy...

He would just tell Druella she passed in her sleep. It happened often enough, especially in children born to older mothers. His wife would mourn, but she would eventually get over it. Then he could mention the subject of a possible surrogate...

The pillow was in his hand, poised over the infant's tiny head...

"Cygnus? What are you doing?"

He dropped the pillow back into place as he spun to see his wife enter the room. He cast a quick eye back down at the infant, who squirmed in her sleep before quieting again. "Nothing, dear," he said as she came to stand beside him, eyeing him warily as she reached into the crib for the sleeping child.

He watched as Druella sat in the rocker next to the crib and began to nurse the infant, before he quickly strode out of the room. He didn't know what came over him in that moment, but he would stay away from his daughter to ensure it never happened again.


	18. Smoky: Her Rise

_A/N: Bellatrix blows a Muggle to pieces. Quick Bellatrix drabble.  
_

_Submission for:_

_**Slytherin Drabble Competition: **Bellatrix._

_**The Weekly Family Challenge: **Bellatrix. Prompt: An Arm and a Leg_

* * *

The night alighted with screams and fire as the dark robes descended on the town. No one was safe from their wrath, their wands held out before them as they rained down punishment and mercy on the Muggles they faced. If asked, they were only following orders, they were doing the right thing. The world needed to be cleansed and they would be righteous who took on that burden.

The corners of her mouth curled upwards as the Muggle was blasted apart, an arm and a leg flying off to the right and his head rolling a few feet away. She could practically feel the shock frozen on Rodolphus' face as he stood behind her, his eyes gazing at the bloody stain where the Muggle stood, but she didn't care.

She had talent for the macabre and a drive to excel in everything she did. To her, this was more than just ethical cleansing or following orders. This was about self-improvement and integrity. This was about self-worth and honour.

Even during her tenure in the house of Slytherin, she did whatever it took to achieve her goals, to perfect completion. If a few Muggles had to be blown up during her rise to the top, then that was no skin of her nose. She was Black, and it was only the best for the Blacks.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the smoky smell mingled with that of burnt flesh and blood. It was a smell that made her own heart race and her nerves stand on end, and she loved every pulse through her veins.

She turned to her partner. "Come," she said gruffly as she ran off to find another Muggle in the chaos. She had to have more. She had to be the best. She was Bellatrix Black and no one could stop her.


	19. Coal: Doggy

_A/N: Regulus can't find his stuffed toy. Regulus/Sirius brother fic. They are both very young here._

_Submission for:_

_**The Dinner Table Challenge!: **Angel Hair pasta, coconut iced latte - Prompt: A lost Toy. Character: Sirius Black_

_**The House of Black Challenge: **Sirius/Regulus - tears_

_**The Weekly Family Challenge: **Regulus. Prompt: spun dizzily_

* * *

Regulus spun dizzily as he looked around his playroom, pulling everything off the shelves and tossing everything to the floor as he searched for his doggy. He had been searching all morning for his stuffed toy but it was nowhere to be found.

He fell onto his diapered bum and let out a loud wail. He was sure he had gone to bed with it the night before, as he did every night, but when he woke up, it was no longer in his arms. His toy was lost and he would never get it back.

"Regulus? Regulus?"

Regulus took a few shuddering breaths as he opened his watery eyes. Before him stood his brother, looking down at him with big eyes.

"Regulus, why are you crying?" Sirius asked, sitting on the floor in front of him.

"I- I- I- can't find Doggy! Do- Do- Doggy ran away!" Regulus gasped out before he began wailing again.

Sirius said, "Please, stop crying, Regulus. Look." Sirius pulled his hands from behind him and held out-

"Doggy!" Regulus squealed in delight, grabbing the coal-black stuffed dog from his brother and holding it close to his chest. He looked over the toy, noticing the bright red ribbon with a small shiny coin hanging around its neck. That hadn't been there before.

He looked to his brother who simply grinned. "Every doggy needs a collar," Sirius said, reaching out to tug on the shiny coin. "I thought I'd surprise you but I never wanted you to cry," he added, wiping the tears from his brother's cheeks with the edge of his sleeve.

Regulus smiled and pulled his brother in for a hug. "Thank you, Sirius," he said.

Sirius wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and rubbed his back affectionately. "No problem, Reg. This is what are brothers for."


	20. Shade: A Promise

_A/N: Andromeda honours her promise to her sister. Andromeda/Narcissa sister fic._

_Submission for:_

_**This I Promise You Competition: **Andromeda Black Tonks_

_**The Weekly Family Challenge: **Andromeda - __"Happiness is not the absence of problems, it's the ability to deal with them"_

_**LIFE: **rainbow_

* * *

She appeared at the edge of the property, looking up at the grand house through her blonde bangs. The structure was situated in the middle of the property at the end of the long driveway, the lawns were magnificent with beautifully trimmed hedges in the shapes of animals, and was that an albino peacock she saw? The Malfoys were definitely one for presentation.

She stepped through the gates hesitantly. Most pureblood families had enchanted gates which warded against any of "wrong" blood. But as she passed the threshold, anticipating alarms or a shock, there was nothing but a slight tingle of recognition. It had deemed her worthy, and she wasn't about to question it as she made the walk to the manor.

She deviated at the stairs to the front doors and walked around the house to the large backyard. Light music wafted from some invisible source as she stood along the perimeter. Large arrangements of white lilies and lilacs, her favourite flowers, were everywhere, and long streams of matching cloth were hung from above. Everyone was in their finest dress robes and shimmering dresses as they sat beneath the large marquee on their respective sides, facing the front where the bride and groom would stand under an arch inlaid with diamonds, which twinkled like a million stars.

She took a seat on the bride's side next to an elderly woman with high cheekbones and a long nose. "And who are you?" the woman asked, analyzing the woman's dress.

Her cheeks burned as she moved a strand of her blonde hair out of her face. "I'm a distant relative of the bride," she said, remembering the story she had planned.

The elderly woman scoffed and turned away, "They'll let anyone with a little blood in these days."

She looked away as well. She wasn't here for this woman or her bigoted attitude. She was here to honour her promise to the bride, her sister.

* * *

_Two little girls were sitting at a small round table, an array of crayons, paints and different craft items at their disposal. The older girl looked over at her sister's drawing, taking in the smiling faces of the persons running beneath a glittering arch._

_"That's a nice rainbow, Cissy," the girl said with an encouragingly smile._

_"It's not a rainbow. It's the arch at my wedding," the little girl said, adding more purple glitter._

_"Your wedding?" the older girl asked in surprise. "Aren't you a bit young to be thinking about that?"_

_The little girl shook her head. "Mum says you're never too young to think about the future, Dromeda, and I want to get married under a glittering arch to the man of my dreams." _

_The older girl bit her lip. Though she loved her sister's innocence, in their family, things never usually worked out that way. "Just make sure you are happy, no matter what."_

_"Of course I'll be happy," the younger girl said before she turned to her sister with large blue eyes. __"You'll come, won't you? You have to be there. You're my sister!"_

_The older girl smiled. "Of course, I will, Cissy. I wouldn't miss you on your big day."_

_"You promise?" the little girl asked._

_"I promise," she said to her younger sister._

* * *

Narcissa stood in a corner of the marquee, smiling as the various guests came to offer their blessings. Though there had been a slight issue earlier with Bellatrix and the shade of her dress, the ceremony had gone off without a hitch.

"You look beautiful," a woman said as she came to stand before her.

"Thank you very much," Narcissa said with a smile, taking in the woman's long, straight blonde hair and light blue eyes. She looked familiar for some reason, though Narcissa was sure she had never met this woman before.

The woman looked around them before she said, "It looks like you've gotten everything you always wanted for your wedding, Cissy: your lilies, your lilacs, and your glittering arch."

Narcissa's breath caught in her throat before she asked, "Andromeda?"

The woman nodded before pulling the bride into her arms. "I'm so happy for you, Cissy. Are you happy?"

"Of course I am. Lucius and I have no problems," Narcissa said.

The woman gave her a serene smile. "Happiness is not the absence of problems, it's the ability to deal with them." Then she asked again, "Are you happy?"

Narcissa's smile faltered for just a moment as she thought to herself. Her and Lucius' relationship hadn't been truly been tested in the few years they had known each other. However, when she looked towards him standing a few feet away, greeting his own share of guests, she was never more sure that they could get through anything. "Yes," she said softly. "I am happy."

"Then so am I," the woman said. "Take care, dear sister."

Narcissa nodded, wiping her tears from her eyes. "Goodbye," she said as the woman walked away, slipping through the crowd and out of the marquee.

A warm hand slipped into her own before she was turned into her husband's face. "Why are you crying, my dear?" Lucius asked, wiping his thumb across her cheek. "Who was that woman?"

Narcissa gave him a watery smile as she said, "Just someone keeping a promise."


	21. Obsidian: A Mistake

_A/N: Sirius finds out that he was a mistake. I do not own Harry Potter._

_Submission for:_

_**Father's Day Competition: **Sirius/Orion_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Mini Event: Celebrating Father's Day - Sirius/Orion._

_****The House of Black Challenge:**** Sirius/Orion - wine_

* * *

"That's enough, Father!"

His chair grated on the wooden floor as he stood up, trying to make his ten-year-old stature appear more confident than he truly felt. Sirius stared across the table at his father, his mother and brother effectively silenced by his outburst. He had suffered through his father's insulting remarks and abuse all his life and he couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't understand what you want from me, Father. I've tried so much to win your favour, for you to not sneer when you look at me, for you to look at me like you look at Regulus. What have I done wrong, Father? Why do you just hate me so much?"

There was a pause as his father held his gaze, his obsidian eyes silently commanding him to sit back down, but Sirius wouldn't budge. He wanted to know the answer for so long.

"You want to know why I hate you?" his father finally asked, placing his goblet of wine back on the table.

Sirius said nothing, knowing his answer was not mother opened her mouth but he gave her a strong look as well.

"To put it plainly, you ruined my life," his father said. "You are living, breathing proof of the biggest mistake I ever made."

"Orion," his mother said, but his father ignored her.

"Everyday, I wish you never existed, because then I wouldn't have had to marry your mother!" his father said, raising his voice slightly.

Sirius stumbled back a bit, his shoulders slumping. "What?" he asked.

"You were a drunken mistake that should have never happened, and with my own cousin much less. When the news spread, we were forced to get married and any hopes and aspirations I held disappeared in an instant.

When you were born, I had hoped things would get better, but you've been a disgrace from the beginning. You are nothing special, nothing to be proud of, and I see how you interact with others. You're _different_."

Sirius was stunned into silence. "Nothing to say now, boy?" he asked wryly as he rose from the table himself and left the room.

Sirius looked towards his mother, quiet for one of the few times in her life. Their eyes locked and she looked away, shame colouring her cheeks and confirming everything his father had just said. She rose from her seat and followed after his father.

"Sirius," his brother began, but Sirius wouldn't stay around to hear him. Regulus was the golden one, the one who was special and something to be proud of. Regulus was not a disgrace or a mistake. Sirius turned and left the dining room as well, to the safety of his room.


	22. Cosmic: Clouded

_A/N: The safety is addictive. incest - Sirius/Regulus. Don't like, don't read._

_Submission for:_

_**The Weird Prompt Strikes Back! [Daily Competition]: **Sirius/Regulus_

_****Open Category 4: ****Incest - Sirius/Regulus_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

They lay there together in the darkness, the older boy wrapping his arms around the younger one's waist. Their breathing is hard, their rhythms out-of-sync, but they will soon match. They always do eventually.

The younger looks down at the pale hand across his stomach, feels the tickle of long black locks against his neck and the kisses being peppered on his bare shoulder blades as they lay beneath the damp bedsheets. This is a dance they've performed before and he treasures the tender moments which always follow.

But no matter how many times they've done it, a fear always takes over his heart, poisoning whatever pleasure he may have just experienced. "What if they find out?" he whispers in the darkness. He doesn't have to say who _they_ are. _They_ have controlled their lives ever since they were born.

The arm across his stomach tightens and the kisses stop. The older boy behind him leans forward until he can feel the hot breath above ear. "We'll run away before they do," he hears.

The younger boy bites his lip, torn between the promise in those words, the fear which paralyzes him and the duty ingrained within. Though he would love to follow his brother anywhere, he can't just forsake his family, he can't just abandon them, he can't leave them completely son-less.

But the thrill and excitement, the desire and feeling of safety and belonging is addictive, it's cosmic and other-worldly, and creates a hazy bubble around his head. He turns around and snuggles into the older boy's embrace, intertwining their legs, loving the contact of their skin and the warmth on this cold night.

"I'll run anywhere with you, Sirius," Regulus says as he places a kiss on his brother's lips.


	23. Pitch: Alone

_A/N: Alone, no one was there to watch her cry._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Charms Assignment #2** \- **Write about a character striving to live normal after The Second Wizarding War. Prompts: orange._

_****Open Category 4: ****Angst_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter_

* * *

"It's bedtime, little one," Andromeda said as she brought the covers up to the little boy's chin.

"But Grandma, I'm not tired," he whined, though his argument fell short when he let out a wide yawn, his bright orange hair slowly turning to its normal brown colour as he relaxed.

"Of course you aren't," Andromeda chuckled as she rose from the bed and walked towards the bedroom door.

She turned in the doorway, a soft smile gracing her lips as she blew a kiss back to the tired-looking boy nestled beneath the covers, his eyelids fluttering as he fought the sleep threatening to take him. He raised a slow hand, blowing one back before she snuffed out the candle burning at his bedside and stepped out of the room, closing the door silently.

Once alone in the corridor, she let the smile fall, her shoulders sag and her back slump. Alone, she let reality hit her, and the waves of emotion wash over her.

However, she wasn't completely alone. The laughter of her little girl bounced off the walls around her, the sound of nearby mirror breaking tinkled in her ear, accompanied by a soft 'oops', and her husband's joyous cry as the Kestrals scored a Quaffle came from the kitchen.

All these sounds, all these memories, flooded her mind and slow tears ran down her cheeks. It had been years since they had passed, but she still felt the pain like it was yesterday. Her Ted, her Dora, Remus, the family she had wanted, the family she had made. They were gone... just like that, leaving a pitch black hole where her heart used to be.

She fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed. She always tried to keep a brave face for her grandson, but alone, there was no one to be brave for, there was no one to be strong for, there was no one to see her cry.


	24. Soot: Service

_A/N: Bella gets her mark. Bellamort drabble._

_Submission for:_

_**The Weird Prompt Strikes Back! [Daily Challenge]: **Bella/Voldemort_

_**10 drabbles, 10 topics challenge #3!: **only including one word of dialogue - 'Always'_

* * *

She stands among the sea of silver masks, her eyes focused on the glorious man in the middle of the room. The air is still, warmed by the flickering torches lining the wall, but she dare not move or breathe to alleviate her discomfort. He is watching her as well, his red gaze able to spot her out of them all, and she must be perfect.

He raises a hand, his finger beckoning her to step out of the crowd. She has performed the best of all the pledges, spilt the most blood, elicited the most cries and pleas for mercy and death. She has done his will even more than he expected, and with a glorious smile and for that, she should be rewarded.

She steps forward, pulling her shroud to fall around her shoulders like a queen's cloak, but then she kneels, offering her services to him. She may have been a queen, but she would be his knight any day.

His pale hand enters her vision and she looks up at his serpentine face, noticing the curl at the corner of his mouth. Her subservience pleases him, and with slow flick of his wrist, her mask disappears from her face and she is left bare before him. The evidence of her performance is exposed, the flecks of blood on her cheek and the soot smeared across her forehead.

He extends his hand once more, asking her a silent question and she smiles as she places her hand in his.

"Always," she whispers, as he exposes her forearm and places the tip of his wand to her pale skin. She bites her tongue to hold back her scream as the inky serpent mars her flesh, but once it is done, she can hold back her excitement. This is what she had always wanted, to do his will forever.


	25. Starless: Her Private Place

_A/N: Why couldn't she have nice things? Little Mermaid!AU. I wrote something a bit similar to this in **Dimmed**, though that wasn't Fairy Tale!AU_

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts Writing Club Competition: **Round 5 - sail_

_****Fairytale Challenge: ****Little Mermaid_

* * *

Andromeda hummed as she pushed the stone away, looking all about the blue expanse of water around her for anyone who may have followed her out here. This was her private place, and it wouldn't bode well if someone found out and told her father.

"C'mon, guys," she whispered, ushering her cousins through before pulling the stone back. They had followed her out here one day, but instead of being upset, Sirius was immediately fascinated while Regulus agreed with whatever his brother did.

The two young merboys swam around her grotto, their eyes fixed on all the curious baubles and trinkets before Sirius asked, "What did you find today, Andromeda?"

She reached into her small seaweed-woven bag and pulled out- "A dinglehopper!" The light shining through the spaces in the stone ceiling of the grotto bounced off the object, casting reflections on the other items around them.

"Is it safe?" Regulus asked, inching away from the object, but Sirius swam forward and grabbed it.

"Wicked," he said, before swimming around and shining the light on various surfaces, Regulus tailing behind him.

Andromeda chuckled as she emptied the rest of her bag: various seashells and stones she thought were pretty, another dinglehopper she had found with the first, and a boot from the brown-haired human on the ship. She admired it, running her hands over its smooth surface before placing it next to the 'sail' Sirius said helped the ship move.

How she wished she could meet him. He would stand on the ship on a starless night, his bright brown eyes looking out at the surface of the water. Sometimes, it even felt as if he was looking directly into her eyes.

But then there was a loud grating noise. Andromeda and the boys watched as the large stone rolled away and her father entered the grotto. "What's all this!" he roared, his face getting angrier as he noticed all the human things on the walls.

"How did you find me?" Andromeda cried, but then she saw her sisters enter behind him. Narcissa's face was slightly curious, while Bella's was smug.

"What have I told you about humans, Andromeda?!" he said.

"They're not that bad, Daddy," Andromeda said. "I saw one and-"

"You saw one? Did he see you? Did he hurt you?" her father asked.

"No, he was-"

"Thank goodness," her father said. "Who knows what he would have done to you?"

"He wouldn't have done anything, Daddy. He isn't like that," Andromeda said.

"Oh, you don't know the humans like I do, Andromeda. They are all ruthless killers."

"No, they aren't, Daddy. They're nice and handsome and-"

"Handsome?" her father asked, and Andromeda immediately quieted. "You are attracted to these humans?"

Andromeda held her tongue as her father shook his head. "I'm afraid I haven't been keeping a tight enough leash on you," he said. "But that will be remedied now."

Andromeda watched as he raised his trident. She jumped forward, pleading for him to stop, he didn't have to do this, she'd be good, but her father didn't listen, firing off spells until only ashes remained.

"You'll thank me for this, Andromeda," he said as he swam out of the grotto, her sister and cousin swimming behind him. Sirius came forward, wanting to comfort Andromeda but her father said, "Sirius, come. She needs time to think."


	26. Pepper: One Good Son

_A/N: They still have one good son. Takes place in the Black household after Sirius has left, and showing a softer side of Walburga and Orion (though thinking more about herself than Sirius)_

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **History of Magic Assignment #4 - Write about any member of the Black family besides Sirius Black, Regulus Black, Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa Malfoy_

_**The House of Black Challenge: **Orion/Walburga. Home._

* * *

It was a bright morning as Orion made his way down the grand staircase of his home, leaning slightly on the cane in his right hand. Yesterday had been quite a show but now all that was behind him. Now he could go back to having a normal life with a normal family eating a normal breakfast.

However, when he entered the dining room, something was amiss. No, he wasn't talking about him - that place and chair had already been removed by the house-elves. His son, Regulus, was sitting quietly in his usual place with his hands in his lap, his head turning when he heard Orion's footsteps approaching, but his wife was nowhere to be seen.

He turned out of the room without explanation as he made his way back up the staircase to his wife's bedroom. Long ago, they had decided it was better for the two of them to sleep in separate rooms, but she was always there waiting for him at the breakfast table.

As he neared her bedroom door, he heard a soft whimpering sound coming from within. Was his wife crying? In all his years of knowing, from even when they were children, he had never known Walburga to shed a tear.

But when he opened the door, his suspicions were confirmed. Walburga sat the end of her bed with her head in her hands, slow tears streaming down her cheeks. His heart broke as he watched her, realizing just how much she had aged over the years. Her lovely black hair was peppered with flecks of grey and white, her skin had started to sag and pale and her shoulders slumped in a less than dignified way.

But soon, she noticed his presence. She looked up from her hands and said two words, "I failed."

Orion stepped forward and placed an awkward hand on her shoulder. He was never one for comfort and affection. His father had raised him cold, as had hers, and his sister was never one to break down either. But right now, his wife needed him.

She took a few deep breaths before she said, "Our son ran away, would rather live in a home among filth and scum than be with his family. He's gone and I just let him go, just like that. What will others think when they find out? I failed as a wife, a mother, and a Black"

Orion took a seat on the bed and pulled her to him, realizing she needed more than just a comforting hand. Though their relationship wasn't as strong as it was when they first married, he still cared for her and love her. She was his dearest friend and he hated to see her crying because that traitor he used to call his son.

"No, you did the right thing, dear. That boy was a bad egg, unable to be changed. But you've done a marvellous job with Regulus. He is the perfect son."

She gave a slight nod in his chest before she moved away from him, wiping away the smudges around her eyes.

Orion rose to his feet and walked towards the door as he said, "You can stay in here today, if you'd like. I'll have the house-elves bring you something to eat."


	27. Ink: Protector

_A/N: Regulus goes into Sirius' room. Marauders' Era._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Defence Against the Dark Arts Assignment #7 - Write about someone who is being protected in one way or another._

_**Ultimate Battle Competition!: **Loser's Draw - Round 2 -[character] Regulus Black_

_**The Restricted Collection (Challenge): **No more than one character featured_

_**Open Category 5 Competition - **The Most Ancient and Noble House Of Black_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

The house was much quieter now without Sirius around. He was all alone now, walking through the long hallways with no one to talk to. Their parents were still just as absent and negligent as before, but at least then they had had each other. Now all he had was Kreacher, who had more than enough things to do around the house than to play with him.

Regulus had already gone into the sitting room and played with the wireless. He had already gone into the kitchen and eaten so many different candies that his teeth would rot. He had already gone into his room and was bored with all his things. And he was definitely not going into his parents' room, he never would have even if Sirius was still here. All the other rooms were dusty and full of old furniture so he would never go there either.

But there was one room he could go into, one door he had always been curious about: Sirius' (though he had hid it behind contempt and disgust for his Gryffindor brother). He stood before the wooden barrier and pushed slowly, a bit scared of what he would find inside.

However, he had nothing to worry about really, except his brother's horrible decorating skills. He stepped inside and walked towards his brother's bed, taking a seat on the bare mattress as his eyes scanned the room. It was practically a shrine to everything Gryffindor, everything he had been taught to dislike and look down upon. The walls had somehow been charmed a gaudy shade of orange, with many gold and red stripes, ribbons and sashes. The surface of his desk was littered with many scraps of parchment, old assignments, drawings, plans, pranks, and little scribblings of his brother's handwriting. His shelves were bare, except for a few things his brother had left behind - a few Dark Arts books their father had always questioned them on after dinner long ago, a broken snitch, a Quidditch figurine, a small pot of dried black ink and one more thing.

Regulus rose to his feet and walked towards the bookcase, tipping a bit to reach the item on a shelf above him (Sirius was always taller than him by just enough). When his fingertips touched cool glass, he grabbed the item and pulled it down.

It was a small figurine, a crystal unicorn that had been a favourite of their mother. One day, he and Sirius had been running through the house when Regulus tripped right into the cabinet it stood in, the figurine smashing to the ground a second later.

Regulus had run, leaving his brother with the broken shards as he heard their mother's thundering footsteps. He waited patiently in his bedroom, tears streaming down his face, wondering why his mother hadn't come to punish him. But nothing happened. He was summoned to dinner, and his mother hadn't even mentioned the figurine once.

Now things were clicking into place - his mother's stern looks towards his brother, his brother's painful expression as he tottered on his chair. While he was crying upstairs, his brother had met their mother among the broken glass. He had taken the blame, and the punishment, sparing Regulus from their mother's ire. He had taken the figurine into his room and fixed it, but by the time he had finished, their mother no longer cared about such a simple trinket.

He turned the crystal over in his hands before he tucked it into his robes and left the room. He would appreciate this simple trinket, and all the things his brother had done to protect him.


	28. Gloom: The Right Thing

_A/N: Andromeda meets with Ted. sad!Tedromeda._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Fairytales Assignment #7 - Write a story that includes someone who has to do something against their will. Prompts: (Character) Bellatrix Black, (word) broken_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

Andromeda bit her lip as she leaned against the stone cold wall of the dungeon. The warmth of the flickering torch a few feet away did nothing to help the chill running along her skin. She looked up and down the corridor, her eyes peering through the darkness and gloom beyond the torch's light, wondering where he could be. He wasn't usually late to any of their meetings, though they usually met further away from her common room.

"Dromeda!" she heard before he stepped into the light, his hair slightly messed and his breath short. "Sorry I'm late. Professor Sprout needed me for a moment."

She gave him an uneasy smile as he stepped closer to her. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her lips but she turned her head away.

His eyes moved to the torchlight. "Is someone here? Do you think they'll see us?"

She shook her head, her eyes looking into the darkness before she said, "It's not that."

"Then what, Dromeda?" he asked. "Why have you asked me to come down here? Why do you not want me to kiss you?"

She took a step away and said, "Ted, I do not love you anymore."

"What!" Ted cried. "What are you talking about, Dromeda?" He reached out for her hands while saying, "I thought what we shared last night was..."

"Last night shouldn't have happened!" she cried, pulling her hands away. "I shouldn't have let you touch me! I shouldn't have let you ever even speak to me! You are beneath me! You are scum!"

His mouth fell open as he tried to think of something to say. She could see the torchlight reflecting in his eyes, and she turned away unable to hold his gaze.

Eventually, he whispered, "You don't mean that."

"I do," she said, just a quietly. "Please, go away and never talk to me again."

She heard his footsteps approach her before he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She struggled out of his embrace and with angry tears in her eyes, she screamed, "Get away from me, mudblood!"

His hands fell to his sides and he scowled. "I see how it is," he said bitterly. Then he sighed and shook his head before saying, "I will leave you alone but only because you have asked me."

He began walking back in the direction of his common room, but turned back once. Their eyes locked, both pairs filled with sadness and regret, and she almost ran to him. But he said, "Goodbye, my love," and continued on through the dark.

She fell to her knees, her face hidden in her hands and her tears wetting her palm. What had she just done? She loved him and he loved her, and she just ended it, leaving his and her heart broken into tiny shards.

She jumped when a cold hand moved along her back in small circles. In her state, she had completely forgotten that her older sister had been watching from the opposite direction. "You did the right thing, Andy," her sister said, "Now you've guaranteed his safety and I won't have to tell Mum about your little... indiscretion last night." She leaned into her ear and added, "It'll be our little secret."


	29. Dull: Just the Way You Are

_A/N: Narcissa wants to change her appearance._

_Submission for:_

_**Musical Chairs Competition III:** Round 3 - (character) Narcissa Black_

_**I Dare You Challenge!: **character or characters are a child/children; specifically before their first year of Hogwarts_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

The young eight-year-old sat before her dresser mirror, her eyes running over her limp, dull, blonde hair and her odd blue eyes. Unlike her sisters, who had inherited their father and his family's dark, voluminous hair and mysterious dark eyes, Narcissa had gotten her mother's fairer complexion and features, something Bellatrix would always remind her of.

But that would change today. She picked up the small vial she had gotten one of the house-elves to steal for her. Inside, a black syrupy liquid rolled lazily about as she tilted it from side to side. Her hair was finally going to be dark like her sisters', and while this wouldn't be a permanent solution, she would finally get to know how it felt to truly be Black.

She pulled the cork out of the vial and held it over her head, waiting impatiently for the first drop to touch her scalp.

"Narcissa! What are you doing?"

Before the young girl could even think, her mother had swatted the vial from her hands. It landed with a crash on the wooden floor behind her, pieces of broken glass caught in the sticky black goo.

Narcissa looked at her mother's surprised yet stern face, her eyes commanding her daughter to explain herself. She let her face fall into her hands, ashamed to look into those eyes. "I just wanted my hair to be black like Bellatrix and Andromeda's," she said through small sobs.

Her mother's expression softened as she took her crying daughter into her arms. "You are my darling flower, Narcissa. I don't want you to be like Bellatrix or Andromeda. I love you just the way you are, with your lovely blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes."

Narcissa wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Really?" she said with a sniffle.

"Really," her mother said, hugging her once more.


	30. Sombre: A Lesson

_A/N: Sirius finally masters occlumancy. young!Sirius._

_Submission for:_

_**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft &amp; Wizardry (Challenges &amp; Assignments): **Divination Assignment #2 -Write about a character mastering oculomancy (Or in the 'Harry Potter' universe, Occlumancy). Prompts: Sirius Black (Character), "Eyes are the window to the soul." (Phrase), Exhausted (Word), "Of course, I'll do it. I'll do anything to save him." (Dialogue), Azure (Color), Determination (Emotion)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter._

* * *

"Ahhhhh!" he screamed, struggling against the leather restraints around his wrists and ankles as he sat in the old wooden chair. His mind felt like it was being pulled apart, the invader rifling through every treasured memory, every secret thought he ever had, not that there were much for an eight-year-old living the Black household.

Then suddenly the assault stopped, he felt like he could finally catch a breath. However, his relief was short-lived when a cold sharp slap landed on his cheek, turning his head forcibly to the other side.

"Weak!" his father screamed into his face, spittle from his mouth landing on his stinging skin. "An embarrassment!"

The young boy let his head fall to his chest, the tears dripping from his eyes and landing on his shirt. He was utterly exhausted and he wanted this to just be over, but he couldn't do anything right. For weeks, his father had been trying to teach him this sacred art of blocking the mind, one he had learnt when he was the same age from his father.

"You aren't trying hard enough!" his father screamed again, gripping him from under the chin. He winced when the edge of his father's ring touched the tender skin of his cheek, but this only caused his father's scowl to deepen. "All you are is a disgrace!"

More tears blurred his vision of his father's face, though the fire was still visible in those piercing azure eyes.

"Never lock eyes with your attacker!" his father screamed, releasing his chin and slapping his other cheek this time. "The eyes are the window to the soul, making it so much easier for them to invade your mind," the man said, taking a step away from him before adding, "Not that you make it any harder." The boy was still recovering from the sudden strike, that he didn't notice his father raising his wand again.

"Legilimens!"

His head slammed against the back of the chair as he felt the needles inside his head, annoying at first but getting sharper and harder with every second. He barely heard the rasping sound of his breathing as he tried to fight off his father.

_"Of course, I'll do it..."_

He ground his teeth together as the voices come to the surface. He remembered this day, a day he made Regulus promise not to tell their parents.

They had been playing outside instead of reading their books when they had come upon an injured bird under the large tree in the backyard. He had picked it up, running a soft hand over the bird's head but careful to avoid its bent wing.

_...I'll do anything to save him."_

He couldn't let his father know. He pushed with all his might, focusing on the edge of a painting on the far wall, determined to get his father out of mind and protect his pet and himself.

The flames of the candles on the wall flared, bathing the sombre room in an eerie orange glow. His father's attention flickered to the change and that was all the boy needed.

He gave it one more push, sending his father out of his mind and onto the floor a few feet away. Through the fringe over his eyes, he studied his father fearfully, wondering what he would do now. But his father was giving him a strange look, one his usually reserved for his younger brother: slight pride.

Then the look was gone. His father got to his feet, dusting off his robes with one quick pat as he commented, "That's a start." He raised his wand and said, "Again. Legilimens!"


End file.
